All Creator
by Luna Tiger
Summary: Universal crossover. Set in a fantasy world with gods and magic, Daisuke and Miyako set on a quest to find the meaning of a visionary dream Dai had. Het&slash and up to your neck in other fandoms. Please read all warnings accordingly. Ch2 up.
1. 0: Warnings!, What to Expect

  
  
**Huge Ass Disclaimer**: NONE of these characters belong to me. All characters who play main or supporting roles belong to someones who are more powerful that myself and would have my skin if they knew this is how I twist their poor, innocent franchises. 

Well, phooie to them. ^_^; *gets sued imediately and is carted away to jail* 

  
  
All anime, books, comics, cartoons, video games, and TV shows taken suject from and characters borrowed are © their respective owners and creators. Never would I claim them as my own. I do, however, lay sole claim to the character known as The One With No Name. He, in fact, does have a name, and is © me, Luna Tiger. 

This world is of pure, unadulterated fantasy. It comes from no particular setting except the one in my mind, and a possible combinations of other worlds. It lays no claim to one particular dimension. 

As for **warnings**, this story is littered with romance of all kinds: hetero (m/f), slash (m/m), femslash (m/f), and possible inter-species/racial couplings. If you have qualms with any one of those, please, discontinue reading and don't flame. I'm writing this, not you. 

Also miscellaneous **warnings**: violence, naughty language, evilness, quests, side quests, magic, dragons, fire, love triangles, ghosts, demons, big-breasted women, wars, fur, half humans, Xelloss, roses, tails, scales, elves, moogles, cute little fuzzy creatures, insanity, old men, perverts, gods, /quarrelling/ gods, quarrelling /family members/, and the sexiest couple in the whole damn universe. ... ^_~ You can decide that last one on your own. 

**Author's Note**: Since Daisuke and Miyako /are/ the major main characters, that's the reason why this story has been put in the Digimon section, but that doesn't mean all the chapters will be focused on just them. *shrug* Fair warning, I guess. 

Now, enough of my babble. *waves her arm* On with the story! 


	2. 1: Forgotten, Lessons Relived

  
  
**Disclaimer**: o.o My god, I don't know where to start for the disclaimer, so I'll do it at the end! ^^; Just remember, none of these people are mine, but I will mention if they are at the end of their 'first appearance chapter. Although, there is already one known original creation who role isn't frequent, but important. 

* * *

Chapter 1:  
Legends Told 

Long ago, the All Creators created man. A primitive sort, but amusing like toys. They dragged their arms along the ground, hunted for food, and froze when winter came. When their 'toys' began dying at this turn of events, the gods frowned and made themselves known, aiding the humans and guiding them, the toy status now removed and in its wake, man became their children, in need of ethereal parents. 

Time past and man evolved into something civilized. Their brash nature still remained and the All Creators decided that they were responsible enough to live with other creatures that they wanted to create. And so they did. 

Dragons began roaming the earth, along side wolves and swift quadrupeds, some with horns, other with wings, most were bare. Humans were scared of these creatures but, centuries later, learned to tame some of them. Even more fascinating animals started appearing and man respected the boundaries placed on some of them. Laws were even made, unspoken ones. 

More time past and humans grew into elegant beings, completely erect in their posture with many mastered skills. They thanked the All Creators with offerings and temples. The divinities smiled at this and decided that certain objects of the world should be worshipped as well. The All Creators created immortals. 

First came a woman with hair as brown as the earth and eyes as green as the meadows kissed with morning dew. The gift of life was all around her, flowers blooming when they shouldn't and recently dead bodies rose to her touch. She was Aeris, the Goddess of Life. 

~ * ~ * ~ 

Next, the All Creators argued over the earth itself. The younger wanted a female and the older wanted a male. They molded them both for judgment and Aeris approached them both, touching the two statues of soil on the lips with her finger. Breath rushed into the lips and the dirt fell away, leaving behind two green-haired beauties that sang of the wind in the leaves of trees. They called him Terra Envy and her Terra Vesper. 

~ * ~ * ~

The gods of day and night were formed by the light of the sun and stars. A golden-haired youth with fair skin governed over the morning affairs and lifted the sun from it's slumber. Later on, Seiji made a male counterpart out of the sun's fire and named him Ryo, a slight play on the green dragon tattoo covering half of Seiji's body. 

From the light of the moon came a dark blue-haired man, dark toned and strong. His eyes were like the wolves who roamed his night. Once, he and Seiji fought for dominance of the day. Seiji defeated him and left a scar over his left eye as a reminder of it. It had infuriated him and pushed him to make a helper, a mate. Kale, God of the Night and Darkness, created Kayura from the silver of the stars. 

Hikari minded neither birth from the light that was her realm. She had come before the four of them and was glad to be their mother, no matter how much tension formed between them. 

~ * ~ * ~

The Terras' were one day roaming the world, contemplating creating a guardian to the earth who could move freely among the humans. Envy wanted one just in case they had to be called away. Vesper was certain that they could handle that when it was called for. But, a guardian was created, but only if Vesper was allowed to make a god out of her favorite flora. Thus, Kusanagi was born from the very substance they themselves had been, watching over the Terras' as well as guarding the servants of their temples. 

Vesper kept good on her word, traveling the earth in search of a plant that caught her interest. Lillies, daisies, morning glories. She couldn't choose. No matter how plain, she loved them all. One day, she saw a male human searching through the vast fields of flowers. He looked around, finding none that interested him... until a certain patch of red blossoms gained his attention. 

He tried to pick one, but the thorns covering the stem pricked his fingers. He frowned and began dethorning them. He only got through three of them before it was time to return back to wherever it was he came from. Vesper smiled as he left and gathered one of the red petals, intending to make this her god. 

But before she got back to Envy, the goddess had found three other colors of the same flower. She made a deity out of all of them: Kojiro of Innocence from the white petal, Shuuichi of Beauty from the red, Treize of Honor from the blue, and Mamoru of Wickedness from the black. They were the Rose Gods. 

~ * ~ * ~ 

A few gods came on their own accord, such at Ultimecia, Mistress of Time and Past, the silver-haired mute Usagi, Watcher of the Moonkeep, and, later on, Myuutsu, the strange creature who gave the aspiring humans a power called psionics. Myuustu was one of the three non-humanoid among the immortals. The other two were Bahamut and Tiger of the Wind. 

Bahamut was a graceful black dragon, born with exceeding power and uncovered in his early age. He was quickly brought up to Heaven, where the All Creators made him an immortal. Instantly, he proclaimed himself the Dragon King and ruler of those who would ride his people. 

Tiger of the Wind was also an oddity in his clan. A wolf with three colors, two of them blue and the other white, and horns on his head, what a joke. But despite the ridicule, his parents were proud of him and they had a right to. Tiger was faster than his cubmates and even his elders couldn't match his speed and he manipulated electricity with the crystal tips of his horns. Breezes trailed behind him and he created tempests and gales when his anger seethed to great heights. 

A whole forest and several clans of wolves were wiped out before the deities picked up on this irregularity. Kale was sent to retrieve him and found him crying. Tiger has lost his one brother in his anger, the younger cub Grey Wolf. 

Although Kale was upset that so many of his dark-crawlers were destroyed, the crystal tears reminded him of Kayura's starry realm and took him up to Heaven. Tiger now domains over storms, wind, rain, lightning, blizzards, tempests, sunshowers, drizzles, squalls, all kinds of weather, depending on his mood. From the lightning and wind, he made two assistants to help direct his anger. They were Raijin and Fuujin. 

~ * ~ * ~

Death was an early creation, made from the first souls who perished in the winter. He was called Shinigami, but affectionately called Duo by Aeris and Hikari for his double personality. When he left the dying to his lover Heero, or the god known as Silent Death, Duo was perky and fun to be with. But when he welded his scythe, everything morbid known to existence was visible in his aura. Shinigami meant God of Death, but that role really meant he judged the souls that made their way to the depths of Hades. They either were admitted to Elysium, thrown in Tartarus, or left to wander the banks of the black river Styx forever. 

~ * ~ * ~ 

When the Terras' asked to govern the oceans as well, they were denied, for even though there was earth and life in the waters of the world, it was not meant to be. Seiryuu, Eternal Guardian Dragon of the East Sea, spoke of a pair that would rule the watery depths. And with his instruction, Aeris made a body from the salty waters of the ocean and called him Cye. 

It stayed that way for a while, but Cye soon discovered that fresh water stung at him, but fresh water /ice/ was harmless. Aeris, with the All Creators and Seiryuu's permission, made a woman out of a block of ice. They named her Ami. 

Ami, the embodiment of ice, ruled the fresh water and northern caps of the planet and excepted Cye's hand of marriage when he offered. Their first child was the majestic creature Leviathan, a winged serpent who could live in both waters. He is their messenger. 

~ * ~ * ~

One day, the All Creators were watching the humans away from the other godlings, dully pointing a few of them, and what they were doing, out. But when they came across a tiny village in the mountains, one of the All Creator's was awestruck. 

A boy had caught the All Creator's attention and how. The child, only sixteen, held juvenated eyes as blue as the sea, hair as golden as Ryo's sun fire, and a body strong and dark. He was the perfect embodiment of Kale and Seiji; it hurt just looking at him. 

The All Creator wanted him. 

Tsunami, the second All Creator, laughed at her older and more powerful sibling's fascination with the mortal boy and commented on her sibling's fling with other mortals and that this interest wouldn't last, but the true All Creator was desperate to have him. 

The All Creator did make the move onto the boy, weaving a spell over him and Tsunami watched, jealous that her sibling began paying more attention to this boy than her, and hoped the magic her sibling wove was a powerful spell that would give the boy false love and that her sibling would never gain his true love. 

But she was wrong. It was an enchantment to make him temporarily immortal to prevent his death (seeing as how one could combust if not worthy) and to draw him out into the night, alone. The All Creator then went down to the boy, scaring the him at the All Creator's approach and made the boy freeze, paralyzed and terrified that he'd burst into flames at any second. 

But when that never came, the boy dropped down to his knees, bowing down to the being that had made them. The All Creator was touched, but knelt down and rose the boy back up, wiping the tears away from his face. The boy asked why the All Creator visited him that night and the All Creator answered: 

_You have enchanted me with a magic that no other could cast or even replicate, ever. When I look at you, I see my children of Day and Night and Sea, and my servants of Thunder and Air. I see the earth itself within your eyes, your kindness and tenderness, your love for your family and friends. I see hard work and warmth to like the coldness of space that I dwell upon. I see perfection, something I never dreamed I'd see. I see hope for this race...._

It was then that the All Creator spoke the boy's name, but by the will of the All Creator, no one knows what that is. The boy agreed, falling in love with the Eternal Deity's words, and so deeply touched that he couldn't refused. 

The All Creator brought him back up to Heaven, giving him the gift of immortality and was titled The One With No Name. 

~ * ~ * ~ 

Tsunami was upset that the boy agreed to the elder All Creator's proposal, but her sibling promised that in return, she could have her own mortal lover. All Creator Tsunami was only slightly cheered up, but was sure that no mortal would ever match that of her sibling in her heart. 

Again, she was wrong, when her own heart fluttered at a black haired youth living on a plantation, farming many kinds of fruits and vegetables, but mostly carrots. Just something about him spoke of a special charm. All the local girls flocked towards his charismatic aura, but he really wanted nothing to do with them and tried to stay out of their bickering and cat fights. He seemed to be waiting for something. 

Disguising herself as a mortal girl, she approached the boy. Of course, the boy wanted nothing to do with her, until she held him by the chin and let him look deep into her eyes; he found the center of the universe and that was all he needed to know. 

His name was Tenchi, but his name was also confused with the word 'tenshi', which is what their children were called. The first tenshi that was born was the most important was Zechs, the winged messenger of the gods. Others were soon to follow. 

~ * ~ * ~

There were many magnificent animals in the world, but most of them were large. None, except for certain cats and most birds, seemed to only grow below a foot. The All Creators decided then that there should be one. What was the result seemed odd. It looked like a wolf, but much smaller and with a narrower, more pointed muzzle. Its fur was an orangish-red and cat-like ears and its tail was long and bushy, tipped with white. They called it a fox. 

Once the fox was released onto the world, they quickly died out, for most animals could catch then with no problem. The next time they shaped it, they gave it swift feet and excellent hearing, but before passing through the eyes of The One With No Name, the blonde boy gave it another gift: the gift of craftiness and cleverness. 

This time, the fox not only succeeded, but became the first creature ever to steal and not get caught red handed. It was a trait humans soon picked up. 

Thieves had no one to watch over them and ran amuk through the world, possessing no honor or dignity. Tsunami took the liberty of cleaning that up. She took a fox cub, an albino, a reject, and altered it in appearance. The coat turned silver and its red eyes golden (to represent her sibling and the more powerful All Creator's mate's locks of hair). Then, she made it grow five more luxurious tails. Its own tail represented itself, while the other five represented herself, her sibling, Tenchi, The One With No Name, and Aeris. 

She placed it down and called it a kitsune, a magical fox that would grant a wish once caught, but would cast a curse if any of the tails were pulled. But something happened then. With the magic it was gifted with, the kitsune transformed into a human.... almost. He was pale and sleek, covered in white tunics. Silver ears adjourned his head and his six tails twitched back and forth behind him. And he spoke: 

_Tsunami, mistress All Creator, you have given me life and thus, I thank you forever. With the talents I hold, I will keep order within the ranks of thieves, for they now have someone to pray to to give them strength. But I will give them honor and if they to not uphold my wish, then they shall fail along the way. I am Youko Kurama, Master Thief and Fox God._

~ * ~ * ~ 

One day, a war started, the very first of it's kind, with brutal battles and horrid deaths. Shinigami and Heero were pleased and asked if they could rule over this glorious event. The All Creators were about to give their consent, when a woman graced their presence. Her face and hair, perfectly preserved, was stained with blood, but no cuts could be seen. A sword hung from her belt, a shield on her arm, and a helmet-crown showing the rank of highest position and beyond. 

_I was born from the spilled blood of this new concept, milked off of the hatred and duty swarming the battlefield. War is a beautiful thing and I want to be apart of it. I want to decide who wins and who loses. I will be fair, but I should be the one to rule over it._

Her name was Dorothy and the All Creators gave her the privilege to start and stop wars, but only with the permission of the All Creators. She was the third in the deathly triangle of herself, Shinigami, and Heero. 

~ * ~ * ~ 

The All Creators weren't the only ones who took on a human for a lover. Aeris found one herself, a young man that was a lot like Tenchi, but didn't work on a farm. No, this man was a laborer. He practiced the sword, one a lot broader and heavier than Tenchi's and enjoyed, on nights when the moon was high, sitting by a small pond and watch the water ripple the bright reflection. 

Aeris saw the amount of life within the man and was amazed. He radiated of the planet's glow and he, a mere mortal, was content listening to the words of Gaia. He definitely interested her. 

One night, he fell asleep by the pond and Aeris approached him. Gaia's whisperings became louder in his dreams and they spoke of Life and how she would collect her knight. 

When he woke up, he found the Father of Angels and The One With No Name standing over him. 

_At least he's alright. _

_Aeris will be happy, but I still think she should have given him the direct approach. _

_She's not the All Creators. Life is her power, not seduction. She might have scared him away and then it'd be hopeless. _

_Indeed, he is a real find. But Tenchi, I still think she should've asked permission. If they had said yes, they could have helped her. She kidnapped him. _

_Oh well, what's done is done. This one will just have to understand like we did. _

_Yes._

In time, the man did understand what he'd been given: the responsibility to protect and serve the Goddess of Life and listen for any kind of flux in Gaia's well being. His name was Zack, now Keeper of the Stream. 

~ * ~ * ~

During the age when weapons were first made from metal, a second pair of twins (the Terra's being the first) came forth from a great fire, unscathed and ice cold to the touch. No fire or heat could harm them and took a great interest in the uses of metal. 

They had refused their invite to Heaven and instead took refuge on a volcanic island, where they took the title Gods of the Forge. Juunana-gou, the Blacksmith, shaped the tools and trinkets of the gods, and his sister the crafts-designer, Juuhachi-gou, decorated whatever it happened to be with intricate patterns and jewels. 

It's rumored that their greatest piece of work was the Hikari no Ken, the Sword of Light, for it could pierce any metal and vanquish any foe. It was also said to have been lost on the mortal plane somewhere. 

~ * ~ * ~

The last deities to be omitted into Heaven were a third pair of twins that roamed the shadows. They played with the humans' fear of ghosts and things that go bump in the night and sang with the wolves and whip-poor-wills. The two were identical in every way except one. They wore black suits as fitting as the darkness, had dark red hair swept around into thick spikes, and were the same height. 

The one difference were their eyes, where the older one had dark brown irises and the other held light blue. But no human ever saw their eyes, nor knew which twin had either, and were only associated by the covers they wore over them. 

Blues, the Kagemusha of Psionics, possessed opaque glasses while Blank, the Kagemusha of Thievery, wore a thick, red leather belt (padded with black wool) across his eyes. 

No one knows their parentage, but they are considered (out of rumor) the children of Kale and Kayura or of Hikari and the older All Creator. Many believed the myth of Kale and Kayura. 

* * *

_The grass was soft between his toes as the boy wiggled them, amused by the simple action. The sky above was a bright blue and the wind rustled the leaves in the trees eternally. Around him was a paradise, surely it had to be Elysium. An echoing laughter filled the air as he stood and ran through the field, the flowers moving aside to allow him room in his joyous playing. He stopped though, in the dead center, catching his breath and letting a smile stay plastered on his face. _

_From the sky, a cloud fell, hovering in front of his face. His expression turned curious as he reached with both hands to hold it. _

_It was heavy and the white powder fell away, revealing a dark blue ball, rubbery and alive. He thought it was cute and knew it was his without realizing why. Suddenly, the ball jumped out of his hands and started bouncing away. A new game. He followed it, calling out for it to come back and play. _

_It did return to him eventually and he smiled down at it, but when he looked up, the sky had darkened to a red canvas with swirls of purple everywhere. A hideous beast roared from on top of a mountain, issuing a challenge to those who dare knock him off of his place. Many tried, and all failed, death being their reward. _

_He was scared and looked down to the ball in his arms. It was shaking from fear. _

_This wasn't right. He looked behind him. The trees he had been lounging under had died and the grass for miles was withered and brown. The only growth of green was in a small circle around his feet. Life. _

_His face grew determined and threw the ball over the deadland, called out its name... A bright light flashed in its place, causing a rip in the world. Within the rip lay a child, his age, with long blue hair. She was crying, lost, and alone. Around her, fire raged, a fox was at her feet, and a small black-furred rabbit lay in her lap. She looked up at him then, tears falling like icicles from her chin._

Help me.... Help me find the stars. Come find me and help me..... Daisuke. 

:: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * ::

When the boy awoke, the first thing that assaulted his senses was the overbearing urge to go look at his book shelf. He hopped out of bed, lit the candle on the nightstand, and softly stepped over to the five-shelf rack. 

Outside, the night crept on, and Daisuke Motomiya suspected it to be around two in the morning. But this couldn't wait until the sun rose. 

Daisuke's fingers skimmed over the many hard bindings of books, each one he read at least once in his lifetime. There was one in particular though... He raised an eyebrow at one title he didn't really remember... _Oh, that's why. Grandpa gave it to me a few days ago for my birthday._

He'd never looked at it though. Ancient gods and mythology weren't his thing; Dai was more of an adventure reader. Facts and stories of the Dragon Riders, the Fire Demons, the Monkey-tails, the mages.... Those weren't myths. A lesser Dragon Rider had even stopped by once to visit family, eight years ago. No one could keep Daisuke, or any of the other children, from asking questions about Dragon Riding. 

The man had said that to become a Dragon Rider, you had to be a certain age to be let into the guild and a Dragon had to choose you, not the other way around. All of that nagged at Dai's mind, but it was a story from Grandpa that made it seem more wonderful. 

Old man Roshi had woven the tale that claimed he had ridden with one of the Dragon Riders before. The Rider had been a black-garbed Fire Demon, who stole precious artifacts for a living. Daisuke never believed his elder, but the story never changed and he loved hearing about it, time after time. 

It was the one lifeline to his dream of becoming a Dragon Rider. 

He brought the book back to his bed and opened it, reading the words, studying the pictures, and wet his finger to turn the pages in the book, his sights set on finding /something/ that matched his dream. 

But the only resemblance he ever found to the girl was the Goddess of the Stars, Kayura.... But there were no markings on the face of the girl in his dream. And by the time he reached the story of the Kagemusha, the two godlings worshipped by the ninjas, sleep was starting overwhelm him again. 

Frowning, he placed the book on the table and blew out the candle, snuggling down into his blankets and finding his way back to the realm of Helios, Bringer of Dreams. 

* * *

Miyako Inoue sighed as she stocked the Guatoma fruit into their crates, trying to keep a glare off of her face. "Don't tell me you're getting all ancient on me, Dai-kun. It's bad enough you /still/ want to be a Dragon Rider while everyone else has given up by now, but now you're looney enough to believe that a dream you had is related to Animezlic mythology?? My god, why am I still your friend?!" 

Daisuke frowned and propped himself up on the crate he claimed as a seat. "Because I'm absolutely adorable and you're smarter than the rest of the people in this town to be prejudice against those who still have a smidgen of a interest in the old ways?" 

For once, the mauve haired girl had no smart-aleck reply; she waved it off instead. "Whatever. You just happen to keep me open minded about the whole god damn situation, albeit by just a little. But right now," Miyako closed the crate lid and hammered it shut, "I'm thinking you're crazy. A blue haired chick that looks like the Lady of the Screaming Stars is telling you to /find/ her?? Get real, Motomiya." 

"Hey! I just said that she /resembled/ her, not looked like her. And besides," he patted the book in his lap, "this book was never opened by my personal self until last night, right after I woke up. I had no frickin' clue what Lady Kayura's appearance was." 

Miyako huffed. "My word, if you start honoring them, the next time you talk to me, I'm gonna say, 'Do I know you?'. ... Please, don't take this myth stuff seriously, for your own safety." 

Daisuke twisted his lips into a smile that just radiated charisma. Miyako had a feeling of dread about the direction of the conversation; she knew that look well. "Hey, now you're acting like Jun in rare moments of kindness to me. But, I've made up my mind." 

She stared at him for a long minute. Then it hit her and Miyako bowed her head. "I'm too late." 

He nodded. "Sorry, Miya-chan. But I'm nineteen. My grandfather was exiled from the village and I want to leave to find him. Maybe he can help me in my search." 

"....." 

"This is what I need." Dai's eyes stared off into the distance. "I can feel it, Miyako. This dream will lead me to my destiny, but it will hopefully make your own dream come true." 

"What?! Wait a minute! My dream?! Since how do you figure this?!" But Miyako had one clue to how: Dai's previous smile. 

And there it was, slapped right back on his face. "You're coming with me!" 

The whole area of the Odaiba town and farms heard, loud and clear, the next shrill of the youngest Inoue daughter. "**_WHAT?!?!?!_**" 

* * *

^^; Ah, yes. Well, do you think Daisuke has enough charm to convince Miyako to come alone on his journey? What is Miyako's lifelong dream? Who is the blue haired girl? Is there anything I'm missing? .... Okay, zipping the lips now. 


	3. 2: Cyclopean Savior, Mist on the Ground

  
  
Chapter 2:  
On Forth... 

A long time ago, a human mastered the art of mist melting, a common, yet artificial, technique found among the Ninja class. The person seemed to generate their own mystic vapor and disappear without a trace, even after the wind blew it away. Many claimed he was a ghost, others say he was the son of the Wind assistant, Raijin. But whatever he was, he was the only one in the known world who had the power to vanish... 

~ * ~ * ~

Miyako held her face in her hands as Daisuke's vibrant explanation droned on; she had no intention of looking at the elder he was speaking to. It would not be a pretty sight. 

Dai, on the other hand, had no problem exercising his mouth in front of the withering old man in front of him, veins bulging from his forehead every ten words that spilled out of the mahogany haired boy's mouth. The elder's grandson, Iori Hida, had turned pale at the prospect Daisuke was offering for them. _I always thought Daisuke was off his rocker, but this takes the cake._

"--And so, I am purposefully throwing myself out of the village in search of this girl." 

The whole room was silent, except for the boy's mother, who was sobbing and cursing him with every vulgar word she could think of as well as trying to convince him to stay. Even Jun, his sister, was silent, pondering her fantasy-come-true where her younger brother is gone. 

Chikara Hida ahemed softly and stood up. "You speak of the ways we are trying to forget, young Motomiya. What you talk of is punishable by exile..." 

"Yes sir, I know." 

"But since you know this better than all of us, because of your grandfather, and are willing to leave because of what you know, you will not be exiled, but banished until you realize that the point of the quest you're taking on it pointless." Hida-san sighed. "But." 

The villagers gaped at the word. 

"But if you return, with proof, that this dream is true, then I shall unbanned the study of legends and worship as such. And if I'm no longer alive when you return, I hold my heir, Iori, to my promise. 

"Further more, no one shall aid you in this.... absurd quest after today.--" 

"But sir!" Daisuke interjected, looking stricken. 

Hida-san narrowed his eyes at the interruption; the villagers were mentally cursing the boy. /Nobody/ stopped the elder's words. "Yes, Motomiya?" 

"Well..." Daisuke frowned, "I was hoping that I would be allowed to take someone with me." 

Miyako flinched inwardly. Dai was gonna ask... and then she's have to answer..... 

"And this person would be....?" 

Daisuke turned to his left and let his eyes fall on his best friend by odd circumstances. "Miyako Inoue." 

_Why did he have to choose me, anyway? Why couldn't he be best friends with Takeru or Iori or Tai's sister Kari? Why /me/?!_ She felt all the stares on her, even the burning ones of her parents and siblings. She didn't hear the question, but she knew, in her heart, what the elder had asked, and gave an answer from the same origin. "I... I want to go with Daisuke. It's a chance to see the world and discover my meaning in it, if anything." 

The room was ladened with a pregnant silence, waiting for the elder's decree. Finally, Hida-san nodded and closed his eyes. "If you so wish it, Inoue-san. You can join Motomiya if you so desire. Remember. After today and tonight, you are on your own, both of you... I'd start getting ready to leave if I were you. Dismissed!" 

* * *

The next day, Daisuke and Miyako were ready to go. The packs on their backs were full to the brim, with food, water, flint and steel, oil (Daisuke's mother had insisted that he take a lantern), a few sets of clothes, a couple of personal belongings, and the pockets in their pants were filled with as much rupies as they could connive from friends and family. Miyako's father had even given her a hunting knife for protection against muggers. 

It was around ten when they were finally able to leave. Their mothers were bawling and Miyako's father was, well, absent. The siblings of both children were threatening to use their rooms as storage areas, but they were empty threats. 

And thus started an adventure no one would ever forget. 

:: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * ::

".....Do you even know where your grandfather is living?" 

Daisuke razzed his companion. "Yeah! He lives in the town after Tamachi. Sendai. He told me about it in a letter that came with my birthday present." 

Miyako frowned at the juvenile act and fingered the map Hida-sama have given them. "That's a few days away from here, you know. A night will pass before we reach Tamachi and we should reach Yokono by the night of the third day, if we spend one night on the road and the other in Tamachi." 

"One night sleeping in the wild. Big deal." He grinned. "It'll be just like that time we fell asleep during a sunset and woke up in the morning covered in dew." 

"Except we were in my backyard then, baka!" she shouted, folding up the map. "This is the real wilderness! Real thieves, real wolves, real monsters with real sharp teeth!!" 

Daisuke sighed. "Must you be so negative? What's the chance of us running into bandits on our first night out here?" 

Miyako slapped her forehead. He had jinxed them. She knew it. 

But, they couldn't turn back and so they kept walking, Dai fingering the binding to his book and while Miyako stared up at the sky, occasionally checking to make sure she wasn't going to trip over anything. 

If the gods were real, she envied them. They were in the sky, floating on clouds and free to never tread a single foot on the ground. That's where she wanted to be. In the sky, flying on wings... wings that made the average bird envious of them too... 

She always had a secret admiration for the creatures with wings. Miyako loved birds, just as much as Daisuke loved dragons. Her dream revolved around the thought of flight and perhaps, one day, being able to train a wild Aquillamon into taking her to beyond the clouds. 

Maybe even meet up with the master Ornitholo-- 

"--Mi~ya~ko!" 

"Wha~at?!" Miya glared at the shorter boy; it was always like him to ruin her wistful thinking. Daisuke pointed out towards the dip in the clearing. "Look. Salastranda." 

Miyako blinked, and then nodded. It was a whole colony of red fire-lizards, frequent to this area. They were harmless, unless you ate them and even the stupidest animal knew not to do that. Currently, they were enjoying that carefree feeling, basking in the sun on Seiji-touched rocks, littered about the rise in the valley. 

They were common as individuals, but only adults at a certain age could come out this far from the village, and so neither of the two had ever seen a whole colony. Daisuke grinned. "Kinda cool, that we don't have to wait another eleven years to see these sights." 

Miyako nodded. "Yeah, it is. ... But it's also creepy, how all the red makes it look like a massacre." 

Daisuke shrugged. "I guess so. C'mon." He gave her a winning smile and ran ahead, startling a few of the salastrandra closer to the road and they scampered back to their brethren as Miyako fought to chase him down. 

You couldn't deny the smile on her face. 

* * *

"Okay, this is where we are." Miyako pointed to a place on the map, just barely visible in the dying light. "And if we wake up around sunrise, we should just make it to Tamachi by dusk." 

Daisuke rocked backwards in his sitting, gazing at the parchment with a childish curiosity. "So should we rest here?" 

Miyako looked around skeptically. It was all fine and dandy... and it would have been great if there was at least an old cave out here, but there were no hills tall enough or sturdy enough to support a deep incision. And the small woodsie area beside them, however small, could be hiding all sorts of unknown dangers. 

It didn't help that no one was allowed outside of the village when the sun dipped behind the mountains. 

"Hey, Miyako?" 

"Hmm?" 

Daisuke laid back, hands supporting his weight and looking upwards. "Think this will take us out of the valley? And into the bigger world?" 

Miyako sighed and bowed her head in hopelessness. Daisuke's head was too big to comprehend the stupidity of this situation. The possibilities, if this silly dream was the vision Daisuke actually claimed it to be, of finding the girl (without even a clue to go by, no less) was a ratio of one to one hundred million. "Dai-kun... Don't you think you're being ridiculous? I mean, you're nineteen, a time when boys get... sexually promiscuous in their dreams. Maybe when this girl said she wanted to find the stars, she meant... y'know.. and you just woke up, taking it the wrong way." 

Daisuke snorted and said rather casually, "No wet dream of mine had this girl in them; I can vouch for that." 

Miyako's face brightened as she hid it in embarrassment. She, eh, really didn't want to be thinking about Dai and... that. "I'm not asking about it. I'm /really/ not." 

Daisuke grinned, but did entertain the thought behind a rare mask. _That couldn't have been it. /Kari's/ always been in my dreams, not... her._ "Okay, okay." Then he changed the subject. "So, how does it feel that we've gone farther than anyone in the village has?" 

Miyako raised a mauve eyebrow at him. "You mean everyone who's ever lived there or of the ones who leave and /always/ come back?" 

"The second, of course," Daisuke snorted. "I know my grandfather's been out here.. And that Rider too." 

The girl nodded and folded the map back up. "I guess it's sort of exciting... and scary. I can't help but recall the horror stories about travelling on roads and thieves getting the best of you." 

Daisuke chuckled and flopped back onto the grass, hands behind his head. "People /never/ travel this road, since we're self-reliable and don't need to. If any thief has an IQ higher than two, they'd know that this is a deadend job." 

"That doesn't mean that there aren't any this far out, Dai-kun," she huffed, shuffling around in her backpack for the flint and steel. "Go find some kindle, would you?" 

The mahogany-haired teen pouted, comfortable where he was, but Miyako eventually got him off his lazy butt. Daisuke didn't have to go very far; Miyako was able to keep her eye on him, more nervous than anything, really. Her fingers finally found the small pouch she was looking for and left it on top of the pack. It was only a short matter of time before Daisuke came strolling back, carrying sticks and twigs. 

:: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * ::

The fire, placed carefully in a cleared patch of ground, still burned a soft orange yet had become diminuative as the night crept by. The moon and stars shined brightly tonight, but as Daisuke looked up at them from under his blanket, he shivered. They seemed cold and uncaring, like they disagreed with the teens' decision to travel out, away from the safety and naiveté it offered. 

Near his feet, Daisuke could hear Miyako's loud breathing. He wanted to laugh-- Miyako always complained about being high-maintenance and here she was, sleeping on the ground like a rock-- but couldn't. No, the urge to stay silent and still was awake and alive in him, only moving to tuck his blanket closer under his body and even that was limited. 

He'd been all for this, camping out in the wilderness, under the stars by firelight, but dread tickled the back of his mind, now unconvinced of just how safe it was to stop and sleep. 

He was hearing things. Snapping twigs that could or could not've been the fire, vague movements in the corner of his eye. To himself, he complained about starting to see things so early in the night, complained inwardly about why he couldn't be hearing and 'seeing' all this at some point in the morning, /after/ he'd gotten some sleep. But still, the bad feeling persistently flared its warning bells and Daisuke had no choice. He sat up, slowly, and crawled over to Miyako to gently shake her shoulder. "Miya-chan. ..Miyako, wake up." 

Miyako only swatted her hand at him and proceeded to turn over. 

"Miyako!" he whisper-shouted, shaking her more urgently. "C'mon, Miya, wake up!" 

"Wha~at?" came the groggy response as Miyako glared sleepily at him. "S'better be import'nt." 

"I..I just..." Daisuke blinked. "I'm having a hard time sleeping." 

Miyako narrowed her eyes, then closed them, settling back under blanket. "S'that all? Man, Dai, you were th' one who said it'd be alright out here." 

"And... I think there's something out there." 

Miyako only opened one eye this time, eyeing him silently. "..Fine. Douse the fire and come sleep near me. I'll protect you from the big, bad monsters." 

Indignant, Daisuke made a face, but moved to scoop up some dirt to try and smoother the flames. Miyako sat up while he did this, exhausted from the trek and just wanting to sleep..! but she couldn't deny Dai much of anything. He was a sweetheart. ...A pig-headed sweetheart with a wild imagination, but a sweetheart none the less. 

A flicker of something about seven feet away caught her eye. With the fire still bright, she couldn't see that far into the darkness, despite the heavenly light. It had been right in front of Daisuke, but the boy didn't have his head up; too busy with the fire. But once the fire was nearly gone, the glint became quite clear. Miyako's eyes widened. "_Daisuke!!_" 

Daisuke jerked his head up just in time to see the lecherous grin and madness-driven eyes looking down at him, and a knife raised for a diagonal slash. He screamed. The man took that swipe and Daisuke felt the cold steel whip into the air. But it missed. Had Miyako not reacted by pulling Dai backwards onto her, it would not have. 

The man snarled and lunged at the tumbled kids, who scampered in opposite directions to get away. Abandoning their things, the duo ran. Side by side, if not slightly apart, down the troddened path. One cursed for not having left her shoes on, the other mentally thankful that he had. 

But their bandit was determined, if anything, and was right on their heels, cackling. And slowly but surely, he was gaining. 

The light of the near-full moon was just enough to see the distinction between grassline and dirt road, but not what lay on either. Miyako winced as her foot stepped on another sharp rock, but couldn't think of anything but to keep moving.. 

The change was so subtle, it was a complete shock. A dense fog bank draped over them, both Miyako and Daisuke, along with their would-be killer. A fog so thick.. it drowned out sound. It was then Miyako finally fell, landing painfully onto the road she could barely see, her ankle twisted from the misstep. She couldn't see Daisuke at all, tried calling out his name... Even to her, it sounded muted. 

Daisuke also stopped in his tracks, looking around frantically. Couldn't hear, couldn't see.. The mist was cold and Dai felt as lost as a blind pup in a box. "Miyako!" 

Nothing called back, and Daisuke clung to himself. He'd never seen fog thicker than soup, never saw fog that hid everything. And he was scared. "MIYAKO!" 

Wait. Daisuke cocked his head, shivering. He'd heard something, but from where, he wasn't sure.. 

It was louder the second time, even though he hadn't moved, and it curled his blood. It was a scream, from Miyako. "Miyako?!" 

"Dai!" 

It was faint, quieter than the scream; later, Dai would realize that it wasn't a surprising thing for her screaming to be louder than her shouting. He'd learn to be thankful, in time. But now, it gave him a general direction to go in. Although, he hardly took three steps when the mist began to disappear. Dissipated into nearly nothing... and Daisuke gawked noisily to the scene before his eyes. 

The body of the bandit lay face first on the ground, yet the irony of that was he didn't have a head on his shoulders, let alone a face to be pressed down into the hard soil. His head lay some distance away... Miyako was also on the ground, sitting up and leaning on an arm. Her other hand was balled up and being bitten on by herself. Daisuke couldn't see the light splatter of blood on her person. However, it was the new person and his ride who'd joined them that stunned the boy in the first place. 

It was a man, bent over Miyako's legs and gently prodding her foot, ignoring Miyako's whimpers. From what Daisuke could see, he had grey-white hair that wavered close to curls and hung pretty far down his shoulders. Daisuke walked cautiously closer, until he was directly behind Miyako; the stranger was now bandaging up the swollen ankle and cut-up foot, with all the care of a physician. 

The dark horse behind him snorted impatiently. 

The stranger was hardly disturbed by Daisuke's approach. The bandage was tied off and he rose back onto his feet, shifting his gaze from Miyako to Dai. _His one-eyed gaze,_ Daisuke mused, noting the eye-patch over the man's left eye. 

"Well," murmured the man, "as I live and breathe. Daisuke Motomiya." 

The mahogany-haired boy's heart simply stopped. It required a moment to restart, but when it did, Daisuke shook nervously. "...How did you know?" 

The man stared at him. "Muten Roshi." 

Daisuke blinked and the stranger helped Miyako up. He tugged at the horse's reigns, but the black beast was more wary of the strange humans than his master was. 

"Gen," scowled the man, rubbing the horse's muzzle. "Behave." 

The horse whined and tossed his head, but held still otherwise. Without a word, he picked up Miyako and put her on Gen's unsaddled back. The lavender-haired girl made a stuttered protest, but he ignored it and beckoned Daisuke closer. Daisuke didn't obey, just stood where he was.. Suddenly, he started flailing his arms. "I don't get it! We're supposed to trust a complete stranger who decapitates some.. other guy! and then sling us up on a horse and take us away?! Who are you, what are you, and what do you want??" 

The man's expression read annoyance and a pale hand reached up to stroke the horse's neck. "My name is Rajura and I'm an acquaintance of your grandfather's. I live not too far from here and /that's/ where I'm taking you. You'll stay the night and then I'm to take you to Tamachi." 

"....Oh." 

Honestly, neither saw a choice. Rajura hoisted Daisuke behind Miyako and then climbed on himself, holding onto the boy (who held onto his friend) with one hand and controlling the horse with the other. Gen took off into a canter, fast enough to scare the living daylights out of his two young passengers, but slow enough for Rajura not to worry of their safety. 

Rajura's home was a small wooden house wedged against a high hill, falling apart in some places, and a two-horse stable right next to it. The stables were empty, meaning Gen was Rajura's one horse. The two teens didn't care really. As soon as the horse dropped from a canter to a trot, their weariness and lack of sleep caught up with them, huffing, puffing, and insulted from being left behind in Gen's dust. Rajura swung down, helped Daisuke off, and lifted Miyako into his arms, carrying her inside. The other teen followed wordlessly. 

Inside, the heat of a tame fire warmed the two rooms the house seemed to possess. Rajura passed right through the kitchen/living room and through another door. By the time Dai reached it as well, Rajura has already settled Miyako onto his bed. Miyako herself was almost asleep and the mattress, while not as soft as her's back home, was much better than the hard ground. 

Daisuke scuffled in, a little jealous that Miyako got the bed and would've settled for the floor.. except Rajura also ushered him into the bed. The teen hardly battered an eye; it wasn't like he and Miyako hadn't shared beds before. Besides, he was too tired to care. Sleep was just to greedy... 

* * *

Twittering birds and a distant horse's whiny became that morning's alarmclock. Daisuke yawned before he opened his eyes, but woke up with a start when he saw the other side was empty. 

_Wait, why should I be considered that it's empty?_

But then, he remembered. And groaned quietly. They owed their life to Rajura... 

He really didn't feel like getting up, but he felt guilty, over Miyako getting hurt and all. So, wrapping the itchy blanket around his shoulders-- he hoped Rajura didn't mind; it was still a little cold-- he left the bedroom of their host and made his way outside. 

The sun was up and smiling down with all its warmth. It had to be about eight or so, Daisuke assumed. A noise to the opposite side of the house alerted him and he turned its corner.. Dai cocked his head in bewilderment. 

Rajura has started an oven fire, close to both a well and a wooden enclosure. The oven itself was made of brick, with two metal buckets over the flames. The way they steamed, Daisuke guessed water was in them. Rajura himself was pouring said water from another bucket into an odd contraption, of the likes Daisuke had never seen before. He walked closer. "...What /is/ that thing?" 

Rajura looked over his shoulder at the boy. "It's a machine." 

Daisuke's jaw slackened at the very word. "...A what?!" 

And suddenly, just like that, Rajura smiled. It was slight and tiny, but it existed. "So, your village really is out there. ...A machine is a creation built to do things for you. In this case, it helps bathe you." 

Daisuke's eyes went wide and shiny. Rajura's words were soaking into his mind slowly... He'd always thought that 'machines' were stories that his grandfather made up! "....Wow. ...Can I see how it works??" 

"You'll find out soon enough." Rajura knocked on the wall of the machine. "It should be ready, Miyako," he called. "If it's still too hot, wait a few more minutes." 

"Okay!" 

It was a day of surprises, that was for sure. Daisuke stared hard at the round thing-- Miyako was inside?-- but Rajura led him away. The plan was to clean up Gen's stable before Miyako finished. 

"Why?" "Because it needs to be done. If you want to get to Tamachi, we need to start off soon and that'll be right after you get cleaned off yourself." 

Daisuke crinkled his nose. "Does her foot still hurt?" 

"Yes. Which is why we're doing this now." 

It wasn't without interest. Daisuke learned how to brush a horse's fur, the 'finer' points to pitching hay, and just how tolerant manure could be. By the time Miyako was done, Daisuke needed a bath twice as badly. But when she came out, limping, Daisuke noticed something. "Hey, isn't that--" 

Miyako beamed and hugged herself, infinity hugging the clothes she wore. "Yep. Rajura was nice enough to go back and get our things!" 

Daisuke scratched his head and mentally good-griefed. Here they were, in the company of a stranger who they knew nothing about-- except that he was able to kill people and had a 'machine'-- and Miyako was acting as if Rajura was her best friend. 

What was wrong with that picture? 

Leaving Miyako to finish toweling down her hair, Rajura led Daisuke over to the 'shower', as the white-haired man now called it, and despite his suspicion, Dai threw out a million questions about it. How it worked, what it could do. Just about everything. 

Soon, Rajura was again filling a metal tankard with well-water and Daisuke became perplexed by the mechanics as he turned the water on, forgetting momentarily about Rajura, his journey, and the girl he was so taken with finding... 

:: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * :: * ::

The day had been spent on horseback, riding at a leisure pace. Miyako and Dai rode, while Rajura had trekked it, guiding Gen along by his reigns. It was like a tour; Rajura pointed out many things, like the different trees that didn't grow so close to Odaiba, and spoke of places far beyond the barrier of the mountains. They seemed like a dream come true. And when dusk fell, Tamachi was easy to spot on the horizon, with the windows lit up by chimney fires and warm candles. Daisuke refused to stop grinning, knowing they were only another day closer to reaching his grandfather. 

Dai had utter faith that Roshi could answer his questions. 

It wasn't long before they entered the village perimeters, with an inn to the left. Miyako murmured about how they could pay for it while Rajura tether Gen, and Daisuke shrugged, verbally praying the expenses were very, very cheap. 

Preferably, free. 

Rajura shuffled them inside, where the two adolecents noticed a near instant change in atmosphere. Behind the counter, lounging in his uncomfortable stool and drowsily checking over his sign-in book, a boy barely younger than themselves appeared /starved/ on sleep, but found the energy to leap out of his skin after doing a double-take towards the opening door. "Ra-Rajura-sama!" he stuttered, getting onto his feet to do business. "Wh-wh-what b-brings you out h-here?" 

The silver-haired man left Miyako and Daisuke in front of the entrance, to stalk over creaking floorboards and stand casually before the young, pale tenant. They spoke quietly, murmurs between them, and Daisuke inwardly grew anxious. People didn't act like terrified rabbits trapped in corners when they were happy, after all. 

"Bet he's a home-killer." 

Miyako snorted, glaring at her friend for the muttered comment. "Home-killers," she stated, just as quietly, "don't aid the helpless and tend to wounds, or even bathe complete strangers! Home-killers /kill/ strangers, or whoever the heck they don't like in their own town. And would most likely be /us/." 

Daisuke's half-lid his eyes warily, like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "He knows my grampa, Miya. /That/'s the reason we aren't mince meat. On the reverse side, he didn't just smack that thief around and let him run. It was a /clean slice/ through the neck!" 

Miyako didn't pick up the argument. It would have been easy, to explain the possible theory that Rajura'd saved them out of a sense of justice... or something along that par, as well as easily note that Rajura may know his grandfather, but that didn't mean they were still alive because of it. Instead, all the fight was gone from her body as a pile of coins clinked together, dropping with docile intent onto the counter. The boy was still lacking facial color, but a shining sparkle hit his eyes, as though he was grateful. But for what? 

"And they better," Rajura threatened, maybe louder than he should've, "find a ride to their next destination, or I may have to pay /another/ visit to you. When you're sleeping." 

The youth's eyes widened considerably, a trickle of sweat falling from his temple and lacing its way down a swallowing throat; he nodded his understanding and handed Rajura a rusty key, then took precausiously into a bag the sum of gold on the surface before him, as though any sudden movement might mean his head. 

Daisuke and Miyako gulped. 

Rajura turned to them then, a tiny smile on his lips. "Second floor, first room. Two beds. Enjoy your night, kids." 

The key fell into Dai's hand and the man brushed past them, heading for outside. Miyako spoke out first, incredulous. "Are you leaving??" 

"My time with you is over, Miss," he said without stopping, untethering Gen once he was in the evening air. "But don't worry." He swung himself onto the horse's back, eyeing both of their heads stuck out the inn doorway with his one brown eye. "We /will/ meet again." 

Daisuke and Miyako hopelessly stared at the lonesome elder, letting Gen slowly lead them out from the town walls. But the pair didn't even reach the walls when mist slowly and gently flickered into existence, pouring from nowhere and subtly surrounding their...friend? ... The cascading cloud past by carelessly, a small fogbank in all said and done, but once it vaporized.... In the little light they had, the two teenagers couldn't believe their half-blind eyes.

Rajura had vanished. 

Much later in course of his path, Daisuke come to posess the knowledge of how Rajura did it, how he simply disappeared like a ghost from the grave. But that was many months down the road, and presently, he and Miyako could only gaze at the empty spot in a stricken awe. Sleep would not be coming anytime soon for the two, that was for certain. 

* * *

_[Rajura- _**_Yoroiden Samurai Troopers_**_ / English dub: Dais- _**_Ronin Warriors_**_ =:+:+:= He's a sub-villain with hardly any screen time, but the only masho/warlord to nearly kill the heros. (His horse was named after the name of his armor in YST)]_


End file.
